The European Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee Chair, David McAllister, has said that the India-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA) is expected to be signed by mid-December 2026, with PM Narendra Modi anticipated to travel to Brussels for the official signing ceremony.The “mother of all deals” will still undergo rigorous scrutiny by the European Parliament, but McAllister told TOI in an interview he’s confident about smooth ratification, given the benefits it will bring to both sides. The EU lawmaker said that a consent vote is expected by spring next year, paving the way for the trade agreement to officially enter into force mid-2027.“We expect the FTA to be signed by mid-December. Hopefully, PM Modi will manage to visit Brussels and attend the official signing ceremony,” said McAllister, who led an EU Parliamentary delegation to India this week.“Though Parliament cannot amend the text of the agreement, our consent is required before it enters into force. I followed the debate in the European Parliament over the past months, and I can say there seems to be a broad majority support for this landmark FTA. The benefits for both sides are so huge that I’m sure the European Parliament will give its support in the consent vote,” added McAllister, who heads the Parliamentary committee that shapes and monitors the EU’s common foreign and security policy.McAllister also said the EU would particularly welcome progress on the investment protection agreement as it would strengthen the confidence of European investors in the Indian market, encouraging greater European investments and contributing to job creation in India. He said the FTA would allow India and the EU to work more closely on de-risking supply chains and reducing dependencies.If the FTA indeed is ready for signing by mid-December, Modi is likely to stop over in Brussels to ink the deal on his way back to India from the US G20 summit. The PM will also travel to Canada and possibly to Germany during that trip.Asked about the prospects of defence-industrial collaboration and technology sharing under the new India-EU defence and security partnership, McAllister backed closer cooperation between India and the European defence industry, saying it is in the interest of both sides. He also spoke about the convergence of interest in keeping the Indo-Pacific free and open and the need to reduce reliance on any one country“There are many fields of cooperation in this matter. I would definitely mention information sharing, research cooperation and cybersecurity. One element would be that we also invite India to participate in a closer cooperation with our European defense industry, because here we also have a joint interest,” said the lawmaker.“We in Europe, as part of our strategic sovereignty, want to reduce the dependence on one particular country, and I understand that the debate in India is very similar. You also want to step-by-step reduce your dependence, and I think this is a very good win-win situation for both sides,” said McAllister.
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Asked about India’s position on the Russia-Ukraine war, McAllister welcomed the Modi government’s diplomatic efforts to achieve a ceasefire covering energy infrastructure, Black Sea shipping, and the movement of grain.“Any peace agreement must be just, sustainable and acceptable to both sides. It must also include absolute, concrete security guarantees for Ukraine that Putin (Russian president) is not able to repeat this unbelievable act of aggression and violation of international law. So, if India with its special relationship with Russia – and also India with its constructive relationship with Ukraine – can play any kind of role constructively, it would be welcome,” he said, while praising Jaishankar’s “constructive” role for peace.
